went to a Sedaris booksigning...

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I was in Philadelphia yesterday getting glasses adn popped into Boarders to get Sedaris' new "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim".

So remember I have 4 children. I never ever get to sit in a bookstore reading for hours anymore.

But there I was reading away when I found a flyer that Sedaris was doing a reading and signing at the Boarders on Avenue of the Arts.

So I was in a quandry, should I bother trying to figure out juggling kids and schlep to the other store to see and hear? The Boarder girl was like, "Ummm Sedaris in Philadelphia....You could get there an hour before and find plenty of seats..."

Well I read the Sunday NYTimes and so I got there 3 hours early and parked my keister in a chair. By 6pm they had 1,200 people there and were turning away crying booklovers.

Sedaris was funny and sardonic and raunchy and all but I wondered about the phenomenon... I come from the capitol of Delaware, Dover.

Do you think Sedaris could get 25 people to show up in Dover Delaware? What about other small towns in America? Or is he more hip, urban, gay funny? I was surprised at how young the crowd was. Most were 25.

― clellie, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw him in Philly for his last book (me talk pretty) and it was crowded but it wasn't THAT crowded. There was still room for people. This was the Borders on Rittenhouse Square. So, this is a recent phenomena. (for Philly and elsewhere. that times article was funny.)

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw Sedaris speak at Plymouth State College in NH when he was touring for Me Talk Pretty One Day (His story in Dress Your Family... when he write about talking to college students an hour north of Manchester, NH, etc; I think he's talking about the show I went to!) and, yeah, the place was packed. I'm worried about seeing him nextweek at Brookline Booksmith in MA. I mean, their reader's room can fit, like, 100 people (tops!). But it's a ticketed event so as long as my Boston friend gets me the tix, I should be allowed in. Damn my friend! Why hasn't he emailed back yet?

Sedaris is one of the few authors I'd drop everything to go and see speak.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Grr, I'm still waiting for my local library to get Me Talk Pretty One Day...

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

They have really turned up the heat under his new book, though. He was in Dublin on Friday. I don't know if he was doing any signings, but boy, was he complaining about not being able to smoke. He's threatening to move to Thailand where he reckons it will be some time before The Ban follows him.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I believe that Sedaris has written that he is a terrible stutterer and that the one thig that really helps him is nicotine.

This may be why he had a morsel of chewing tobaccy between his lip and bottom front teeth yesterday.

And I will wager that Hugh bought the pink and white striped shirt and green and white check tie. He was the picture of summer.

But with a smudge of tobaccy between his teeth.

― clellie, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Just wanted to add...

yesterday was huge for me. Remember with the 4 kids my highlight is getting to sit on the porch and drink wine with friends who have maybe read Sedaris.

Getting to go do something for myself, AND to find people here as jazzed about it as I am.... that is pretty special

― clellie, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Saw him in Chicago last friday. Unfortunately, got there late, so I waited outside Unabridged books during his hour of reading and Q & A. The full wait to get a signature was just shy of four hours, which kind of sucked, but he was really friendly and talkative with everyone, so I suppose you have to let that go. They packed the store, and people were lined up down the block to get in.

Definitely in my top five of authors to see giving a reading (he's coming back on Halloween, for anyone in Chicago). But I feel ridiculously stupid standing in front of someone, saying "hey" and handing them a book to sign, like I'm checking out at a grocery store. Which I suppose is my own damn fault for not stepping up to the plate conversation-wise. He did tell me and the lady a rather sad story about how people will come to the books signings and have him sign books that he didn't even write. Apparently its common.

Who would do that? Here's my copy of On the Road, signed by David Sedaris? I couldn't bother to bring a sheet of looseleaf or copy paper for you to sign, but I really want you to write in my copy of The World According to Garp.

― tomlang (tom), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

That's kinda funny actually. I would have him sign my bible.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, you got me on that one. Having him sign a bible would be classic. And I should get off my high horse; I would have had him sign my donor witness line on the back of my driver's license, but it's already signed.

― tomlang (tom), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 21:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I would like to have God sign my copy of "Holidays on Ice".

― aimurchie, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

he's doing two nights here (in LA) at royce hall which fits a couple thousand people and it's been sold out for months.

― eleni (eleni), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 04:39 (twenty-two years ago)

My copy of "Naked" is signed "To Chr!s P!uma, on the occassion of his 37th birthday". (It was my 23rd birthday, I think, and he misspelt "occasion", which always trips me up too.) (But no, he didn't googleproof my name.)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 13 June 2004 06:17 (twenty-one years ago)

We saw him in Albuquerque last fall and are going again to see him in Santa Fe next week. I don't care about signed books, but his shows are the funniest things I've ever heard. I had a sore stomach muscles for days after from laughing so hard. I own all his CDs (and books too, of course) and listen to them multiple times. His sister Amy does voices on many cuts and Ann Magnuson's performance is priceless.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Monday, 14 June 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

why do people like him?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 8 July 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

Some people find him funny: some more than others. Funny is an attractive trait. (I find him moderately amusing.)

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 8 July 2005 21:09 (twenty years ago)

He's perfect for reading on a plane, or for listing on your Friendster profile if you're looking for an easy conversation starter (esp. if you are a gay man).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 9 July 2005 03:41 (twenty years ago)

was there a similar group (to the current one) of supposedly 'great young writers' that were fashionable in a similar way, say in the early 90s, then early 80s? who were they? who were they fashionable with?

― Josh (Josh), Sunday, 10 July 2005 06:50 (twenty years ago)

i read "me talk pretty..." and laughed out loud twice during the first story then i never laughed again. I put it down about half way through because i thought it was actually kinda awful and unbelievable. i can understand what people see in him, it's just not my thing AT ALL. the thought that anyone might think he's a "great young writer" is baffling to me.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 10 July 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)

The audiobooks are, in this case, far better than the actual books. Also "Naked" is the one to read, "Me Talk Pretty..." and the rest are only at times as good.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 10 July 2005 13:49 (twenty years ago)

Because, do you see, it's basically stand-up. I suspect Sedaris would be more likely to agree with this than most of his fans.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 10 July 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

eight years pass...

This is as much about Amazon but interesting - Sedaris tour and the Hachette/Amazon dispute.

Related to the dispute, all of the print editions of his books except his newest one are '2 to 4 weeks delivery' on Amazon.

― heavy on their trademark ballads (Eazy), Sunday, 22 June 2014 16:05 (eleven years ago)

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